Rear-mounted vehicle mirror

ABSTRACT

A mirror support structure for mounting at the rear of a vehicle to support a mirror for convenient viewing of a trailer hitch element positioned at the rear of the vehicle. The trailer hitch can be observed while the observer is seated in the vehicle driver&#39;s seat. The mirror support structure includes a mounting member adapted to engage with and be supported by a surface at the rear of the vehicle, and a support arm that is slidably carried by the mounting member and that is positioned at an acute angle relative to the vehicle surface. A mounting arrangement is provided for securing a convex mirror to the support arm. The mirror support structure can include a mounting member for mounting on the upper portion of a tailgate of a pickup truck, or it can include a suction cup for mounting either on the surface of the trunk lid of a passenger car or on the surface of a rear window of a van or panel truck to permit laterally offset positioning of the mirror support structure to enable convenient viewing from the driver&#39;s seat of the trailer hitch area at the rear of the vehicle to permit backing of the vehicle to the trailer or vehicle to be towed, and also to permit connection thereto without requiring an additional person.

This application is a division of application No. 08/452,960, filed May30, 1995 U.S. Pat. No. 5,550,681.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a mirror support structure forattachment of a mirror to the rear of a vehicle for permitting viewingof a trailer hitch area at the lower rear portion of the vehicle andwhile the observer is seated in the driver's seat. More particularly,the present invention relates to an improved mirror support structurefor viewing a trailer hitch while seated in the driver's seat, whereinthe mirror support structure is adapted for positioning at a point atthe rear of the vehicle that is offset from the vehicle centerline, andwherein the mirror is supported on an arm that is slidably carried by amounting member so that the position of the mirror can be changed toaccommodate proper positioning of the mirror structure on differenttypes of vehicles.

2. Description of the Related Art

Mirror support structures for positioning a mirror to enable viewing ofa trailer hitch area at the rear of a vehicle are known. Examples ofpatents in which such mirrors for attachment at the rear of a vehicleare disclosed include U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,376, which issued on Mar. 6,1990, to Rodger P. Neeley; U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,913, which issued on Aug.28, 1990, to David M. Quesada; U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,342, which issued onMay 5, 1992, to David M. Quesada; U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,182, which issuedon Jan. 19, 1993, to James R. Haworth; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,309,289,which issued on May 3, 1994, to Brady G. Johnson. The Johnson patentshows that mirror carried by the towed vehicle whereas the other patentsshow the mirror carried by the towing vehicle.

With the exception of the structure illustrated in the Quesada '913patent, the mirror structures disclosed in the patents listed above areintended to be positioned on the centerline of either the towing vehicleor the towed vehicle. The use of such mirrors permits the driver of atowing vehicle to directly observe, while seated in the driver's seat,the trailer hitch area while the vehicle is being maneuvered intoposition to connect or disconnect the towing vehicle with the towedvehicle. However, there are times when the vehicle structure does notpermit such a central arrangement, such as, for example, a van havingrear doors that together define a frame that is centrally positioned andthereby prevents direct viewing because of the interfering framestructure. Additionally, the driver of the towing vehicle may preferthat the trailer hitch mirror be offset several inches from the vehiclecenterline so as not to interfere with the rear view during times otherthan when a towed vehicle is being connected to or disconnected from thetowing vehicle.

The Quesada '913 patent permits off centerline positioning of a rearmounted mirror on a pickup truck, but the structure is quitecomplicated, requiring numerous parts, and thereby involving anexcessive cost to produce the device.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the shortcomings ofthe prior art structures and to provide an improved rear mounted mirrorfor observing a trailer hitch area of a vehicle, to facilitateconnection with and disconnection from a towed vehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly stated, in accordance with one aspect of the present invention,a mirror support structure is provided for positioning at the rear of atowing vehicle for observing a trailer hitch while the observer isseated in the vehicle. The support structure includes a mounting memberfor removable connection with a surface at the rear of the towingvehicle and at a position above the rear bumper. A support arm extendsangularly from the mounting member and is disposed at an acute anglerelative to the vehicle surface. A mirror mounting arm extends from anend of the support arm for supporting a convex mirror in a forwardfacing direction. The support arm is arranged to permit the mirror to beconveniently positioned to enable clear and unobstructed viewing of thetrailer hitch area with the mirror mounted at a position that is offsetrelative to the vehicle centerline.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a mirror supportstructure in accordance with the present invention, for mounting on thetailgate of a pickup truck.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the mirror structure shown in FIG.1, with the mirror removed and the mounting member disassembled.

FIG. 3 is an end view of the mirror assembly shown in FIG. 2, takenalong the line 3--3 thereof.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the mirror assembly shown in FIG. 1, taken alongthe line 4--4 thereof.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the mirror assembly ofFIG. 1, mounted in operative position on the tailgate of a pickup truck.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary rear perspective view of the mirror assembly ofFIG. 1 when viewed from within the pickup truck cab while lookingrearwardly.

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of a second embodiment of a mirrorsupport structure in accordance with the present invention, for mountingon the trunk lid of a passenger vehicle.

FIG. 8 is a rear elevational view of the mirror structure shown in FIG.7 taken along the line 8--8 thereof.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary rear perspective view of an automobile thatincludes a mirror support structure of the type shown in FIG. 7 mountedin operative position on the trunk lid.

FIG. 10 is a side view of a third embodiment of a mirror supportassembly in accordance with the present invention, for mounting on arear window of a van or panel truck.

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary view looking upwardly at a van rear window withthe mirror assembly shown in FIG. 10 in place and supported on the rearwindow.

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary rear perspective view of a van with a mirrorsupport assembly of the type shown in FIG. 10 mounted in operativeposition on one of the rear window panes of a van.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1 through 4thereof, there is shown a convex mirror 10 carried by a mirror support12 adapted to be mounted at the rear of a vehicle (not shown) and in agenerally forwardly-facing direction. In the structural embodiment ofthe invention as illustrated in FIG. 1, mirror support 12 is configuredto enable it to be positioned on the top edge of a vertically extendingtailgate of a pickup truck, or the like, as shown in FIG. 5.

Mirror support 12 includes a mounting member 14, a support arm 16, and amirror holder 18. Mounting member 14 as shown is a generally U-shapedstructure that in use is oriented in inverted condition so that it canfit on and be supported by the upper edge of a pickup truck tailgate, aswill be hereinafter described. Mounting member 14 includes a firstL-shaped member 20, and a second L-shaped member 22. As clearly seen inFIG. 1, the horizontally extending legs 24, 26 of the respectiveL-shaped members 20, 22 are in overlapping relationship with each other.To support the L-shaped members 20, 22 in a fixed position relative toeach other second L-shaped member 26 includes a pair of apertures 28 toeach receive a dart-type plastic fastener 30 (see FIG. 2), and firstL-shaped member 24 includes an elongated slot 32 through which fasteners30 are adapted to pass. When fasteners 30 pass through slot 32 and intoapertures 28, they are held in position by virtue of the gripping actionprovided by the barbed ends of fasteners 30 that extend laterallyoutwardly when they pass through apertures 28, to firmly hold L-shapedmembers 20 and 22 in a predetermined position relative to each other todefine a space or gap between their respective vertical legs 34, 36 sothat L-shaped members 20 and 22 when in assembled condition define aU-shaped member to overlie the top edge and to contact the inner andouter faces of a pickup truck tailgate, as is clearly seen in FIG. 5.Furthermore, the spacing between vertical legs 34, 36 of the respectiveL-shaped members 20, 22 can be changed by sliding each of the L-shapedmembers relative to each other to narrow or widen the spacing betweenvertical legs 34, 36. Although disclosed in terms of a dart-typefastener, those skilled in the art will appreciate that other forms offastener, such as plastic screws and threaded apertures, can also beutilized, if desired, to hold L-shaped members 22 and 24 in a desiredrelative position and also to enable the spacing between vertical legs34 and 36 to be changed to adapt mounting member 14 to tailgates ofdifferent front-to-back thicknesses.

Vertical leg 36 of second L-shaped member 22 is connected with supportarm 16 and is inclined to arm 16 at an acute angle b. Preferably, angleb is within the range of about 20° to about 50° , and most preferably isof the order of from about 30° to about 40°.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, support arm 16 preferably has a longitudinallength greater than that of vertical leg 36, so that mirror holder 18 ispositioned a sufficient distance above the top edge of the trucktailgate to enable it to be clearly seen when the mirror support 12 isin its operative position. Moreover, and best seen in FIG. 3, supportarm 16 is inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of vertical member36 at an angle a. Angle a can be of the order of about 5° to about 20°,most preferably of the order of about 10°.

Mirror holder 18 is rigidly connected with and extends generallylaterally from the upper or distal end of support arm 16 and towardmounting member 14. Preferably, mirror holder 18 is at an angle crelative to support arm 16, as shown in FIG. 2, wherein angle c canrange from about 85° to about 105°, and is preferably about 85°.Additionally, and as best seen in FIG. 4, mirror holder 18 also extendsangularly inwardly from support arm 16 toward mounting member 14 at anangle d, relative to the rearwardly facing surface 46 of support arm 16.Preferably, angle d ranges from about 75° to about 90°.

Referring once again to FIG. 1, mirror 10 is carried on mirror holder 18so that it faces in the general direction of mounting member 14. Mirror10 is preferably securely mounted to mirror holder 18, such as by adouble-faced adhesive strip 52 that can be adhesively attached to mirrorholder 18, so that the rear surface of mirror 10 can be secured tomirror holder 18. As shown in FIG. 4, mirror 10 can be mounted to mirrorholder 18 in an offset position, if desired, depending upon the geometryof the tailgate of the truck, the position of the trailer hitch, and thedesired position of mounting member 14 along the top of the trucktailgate.

The mirror support structure illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 4 is shownin position on the tailgate 54 of a pickup truck in FIGS. 5 and 6. Asthere shown, mounting member 14 is positioned to lie on the top edge oftailgate 54, and the respective vertical legs of L-shaped members 20 and22 face the respective inner and outer surfaces of the tailgate. In thatregard, it is preferred that L-shaped member 20 be so configured thathorizontal leg 24 and vertical leg 34 are disposed relative to eachother at an angle less than 90°, preferably about 80°, so that thelowermost inner edge 38 of leg 34 always contacts the inner face oftailgate 54.

When mounting member 14 is in position with mirror 10 properly oriented,one seated in the driver's seat looking rearwardly will see the mirrorin accordance with the present invention as shown in FIG. 6. As shown,the external, forwardly facing, rear mounted mirror carried on tailgate54 is so oriented as to permit direct viewing of trailer hitch ball 56that is normally disposed adjacent the rear bumper of the truck.Accordingly, when backing up the truck to permit connection of the truckportion of the trailer hitch with the trailer portion of the hitch, theconnection of the respective hitch elements can be conveniently effectedby the vehicle operator, without the need for an additional person toprovide assistance and guidance.

Depending upon the physical arrangement of the particular truck on whichthe present invention is positioned, such as tailgate height relative tothe position of trailer hitch ball 56, adjustment of the position ofmirror 10 may be necessary to permit optimum viewing. In that regard,adjustment of the orientation of mirror 10 to permit convenient sightingof trailer hitch ball 56 is performed by varying the spacing betweenvertical legs 34 and 36. As the horizontal spacing between vertical legs34 and 36 is increased, by sliding horizontal legs 24 and 26 relative toeach other, support arm 16 and mirror arm 18 pivot rearwardly aboutlowermost edge 58 of support arm 16. As a result, the field of view ofmirror shifts forwardly. When trailer hitch ball 56 is in clear view inmirror 10, the device is correctly configured for that truck. Thehorizontal legs 24 and 26 are frictionally held in that optimum positionfor that truck by the pulling force imposed by dart-type fasteners 30,which operate to draw legs 24 and 26 toward each other to increase thefrictional force therebetween.

If the device in accordance with the present invention is thenpositioned on another truck, another adjustment may be necessary foroptimum viewing. In that case the horizontal spacing between verticallegs 34 and 36 may need to be narrowed, as a result of which the fieldof view of mirror 10 shifts rearwardly by virtue of the pivotal movementof support arm 16 and mirror arm 18 about lowermost edge 58 of supportarm 16.

Another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 7,8, and 9, in which a mirror support structure 60 in accordance with thepresent invention is shown in a configuration suitable for mounting onthe trunk lid of a passenger vehicle. The passenger vehicle embodimentincludes a support arm 16 and a mirror holder 18, together with a convexmirror 10, all having the same structure as is illustrated in FIGS. 1through 4 and described hereinabove for the pickup truck embodiment ofthe invention.

Mounting member 62 for mounting the mirror support structure to thesurface of a passenger car trunk lid 64 is a mounting bracket thatincludes a first leg 66 and a second leg 68. Legs 66, 68 are disposedrelative to each other at an obtuse angle d, which can range from about120° to about 150°, and preferably is of the order of about 132°.Support arm 16 is slidably adjustable along second leg 68 by theprovision of dart-type fasteners 42 and a slot arrangement as in thepickup truck embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 4. In thatregard, second leg 68 includes a pair of longitudinally spaced,elongated slots 70, 72 to permit shifting the position of support arm 16relative to mounting member 62 by sliding support arm 16 inwardly oroutwardly relative to each other, in the same manner as was described inconnection with the horizontal legs 24 and 26 in the pickup truckembodiment.

First leg 66 of mounting member 62 can be of substantially the samelength as second leg 68, and adjacent its outermost end 74 first leg 66carries a suction cup 76 for secure, but removable, attachment of mirrorsupport structure 60 to the upper surface of trunk lid 64.

FIG. 9 shows an embodiment of the passenger car version of the inventionin position on the trunk lid 64, wherein the orientation of mirror 10can be changed by sliding support arm 16 relative to mounting member 62,to accommodate trunk lids having different slopes, until the desiredposition of mirror 10 is achieved for optimal viewing of trailer hitchball 84.

The effect of the adjustment is best seen in FIG. 7, which shows thatwhen support arm 16 is moved relative to second leg 68 of mountingmember 62, the contact point 80 between the proximal end 82 of supportarm 16 remains in substantially the same position, while mounting member62 is pivoted angularly about suction cup 76, to carry with it supportarm 16 and mirror arm 18, to permit proper orientation of convex mirror10 for convenient viewing of trailer hitch ball 84.

A further embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 10through 12, which show a mirror support structure in position on a rearwindow 92 of a van or panel truck 94 having at least one rear window. Inthat regard, mounting member 62 for the van embodiment has the samegeneral structure as the corresponding mounting member for the passengercar embodiment shown in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9, although support arm 96 issomewhat different in that mirror 10 is mounted in a different position.Preferably, in addition to the inclination angle e, which can range fromabout 120° to about 150°, and is preferably about 148°, the plane of leg68 is preferably twisted at about a 14° clockwise angle relative to theplane of arm 66, when viewed along support member 96.

Support arm 96 is generally similar in structure to support arm 16, andis movable relative to mounting member 90 in the same manner as issupport arm 16 relative to mounting member 62 of the passenger carembodiment. However, support arm 96 does not always require an angularlydisposed mirror holder 18 at as large an angle as in theearlier-described embodiments, but, instead, can range from 0°, asshown, to about 10°, depending upon the configuration of the rear of thevan. Support arm 96 includes an adhesive support strip 52 that ismounted adjacent the distal end 98 of support arm 96, and on the side ofsupport arm 96 opposite the side that contacts mounting member 90, toface in a generally forwardly direction relative to van 94. As shown inFIGS. 10 and 11, a stop member 100 can be defined at distal end 98 ofsupport arm 96, if desired, to engage an edge of mirror 10.

An embodiment of the van version of the invention is shown in operativeposition in FIGS. 11 and 12, wherein mirror support 90 includes asuction cup 76 to permit secure connection of the device with the glassdefining the rear window of the van. Again, as in the earlier-describedembodiments, dart-type fasteners 42 interconnect support arm 96 withmounting member 90 to permit sliding adjustment of support arm 96relative to mounting member 90 in order to permit proper positioning ofmirror 10 for convenient viewing of the area surrounding trailer hitchball 102. As was the case in connection with the passenger carembodiment, sliding movement of support arm 96 relative to mountingmember 90 causes mounting member 90 to pivot about suction cup 76, andthereby changes both the position and the angular orientation of mirror10 so that proper orientation of the mirror can be effected.

Although particular embodiments of the present invention have beenillustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in theart that various changes and modifications can be made without departingfrom the spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, it is intended toencompass within the appended claims, all such changes and modificationsthat fall within the scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mirror support structure for supporting amirror on a rear surface of a vehicle for permitting observation of atrailer hitch element positioned at the lower rear portion of thevehicle by an observer while the observer is seated in the driver's seatof the vehicle, said mirror support structure comprising:a. a mountingmember for removable attachment to a vehicle surface at the rear of avehicle having a trailer hitch element, wherein the mounting member ispositioned above the trailer hitch element and includes a first leg anda second leg, wherein the first and second legs of the mounting memberare connected together and define an obtuse included angle therebetween,and wherein the first leg carries a suction cup for engagement with avehicle outer surface; b. a support arm extending angularly from themounting member and disposed at an acute angle relative to the vehiclesurface, the support arm slidably carried by the second leg of themounting member and having an outer end spaced from the mounting memberand an inner end in contact with a surface of the vehicle; c. a mirrormounting surface carried by the support arm and positioned adjacent theouter end of the support arm and facing the trailer hitch element forsupporting a convex mirror; and d. a convex mirror carried on the mirrormounting surface, wherein the convex mirror is disposed to face thetrailer hitch element to permit an observer seated in the driver's seatof the vehicle to observe the trailer hitch element to therebyfacilitate connection and disconnection of the trailer hitch element ofthe vehicle with a cooperating trailer hitch element carried by a towedvehicle.
 2. A mirror support structure in accordance with claim 1,wherein the first and second legs are disposed relative to each other atan obtuse angle of from about 120° to about 150°.
 3. A mirror supportstructure in accordance with claim 2, wherein the mirror mountingsurface extends outwardly from a distal end of the support arm in ageneral direction toward the mounting member and at an angle of fromabout 85° to about 105° relative to the support arm.
 4. A mirror supportstructure in accordance with claim 2, wherein the support arm isinclined laterally relative to the first leg at an angle of from about5° to about 20°.
 5. A mirror support structure in accordance with claim2, wherein the proximal end of the support arm contacts the vehiclesurface to orient the mirror relative to the trailer hitch element.
 6. Amirror support structure in accordance with claim 2, wherein the mirrormounting surface is substantially coplanar with the support arm.
 7. Amirror support structure in accordance with claim 1 wherein the vehiclesurface at which the inner end of the support arm contacts the vehicleunderlies the first leg of the mounting member.